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Caenorhabditis elegans is a species of soil-dwelling nematode (roundworm) that feeds on soil bacteria, including Bacillus thuringiensis.

a. True
b. False

User Camisha
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6 votes

Answer:

b. False

Step-by-step explanation:

Caenorhabditis elegans is a well-known species which is widely used in genetic experiments (i.e., it is a model organism). C. elegans is a soil nematode that eats bacteria, but its survival depends on the ability to distinguish toxic from non-toxic ones. C. elegans cannot feed Bacillus thuringiensis because this bacterium produces a toxin Bt protein that damages its gut, thereby producing the death of this nematode. Interestingly, it has been proposed that Bt toxin pathways might be exploited for the design of new generation nematicides.

User Galina Melnik
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